1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to dry wall connections, and more particularly, to an apparatus for applying a bull nose corner to adjacent dry wall panels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In modern construction, it is often desirable to apply a bull nose reinforcing strip to adjacent dry wall panels to add structural rigidity to the connection while providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Presently, bull nose strips are attached to the dry wall by either coating the underside of the flanges thereof with a thin coating of spackle or cement, or by nailing a plurality of nails through the flanges and into the dry wall at sufficiently spaced intervals. Both methods are labor intensive.
Devices for applying a corner bead to adjacent dry wall panels are known in the art and are of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,859,445 issued to Larrabee. The Larrabee patent discloses a clinching tool for aligning a corner bead with respect to the dry wall panels, and clinching areas of the corner bead flanges such that they locally deform and grip the dry wall. Goldblatt Tool Company manufactures a device known as a "Goldblatt Hammerhead Corner Bead Clincher," which includes an elongated V-shaped channel for aligning a corner bead with respect to adjacent dry wall panels, and a hammer or mallet actuated linkage which drives a pair of clinching jaws into the corner bead flanges to form localized deformations similar to those created by the Larrabee apparatus. Neither of these devices, however, are suitable for similarly installing a bull nose corner against such dry wall panels. Moreover, the geometric configuration of the crimping jaws in the Goldblatt tool does not provide a suitable deformation in the flange of the reinforcement strip to ensure permanent and secure attachment to the dry wall.
Therefore, there exists a need for a tool which facilitates the attachment of a bull nose reinforcement strip to adjacent dry wall panels with a specially configured crimping member which cuts the bull nose flanges into curved gripping tongues which optimizes the connection therebetween while minimizing the labor typically associated with such installations.